Laboon's Song Thrush
by UlzzangVampire
Summary: The granddaughter of Crocus wants nothing more in life than to sing and keep Laboon calm. When opportunity to find the missing Rumbar Pirates arises, she joins the Straw Hats in hopes of finding them. I give all credit to Eiichiro Oda, I only on my OC.
1. Chapter 1

Ruby

Age: 9

DOB: July 14th

Height: 4'4''

Weight: 62 lbs

Hair color: Brown

Eye color: Green

Family: Unnamed Parents, Crocus (Grandfather)


	2. A New Determination

Ruby didn't know much about her parents. Her grandfather all but refused to talk about them for the past nine years she's been living with him. All she had to go off of them were pictures hanging up in the cabin. In the photo was a couple who looked to be in their mid to late twenties standing beside her grandfather smiling brightly. The woman was like an older version of Ruby. She had the same fair skin, brown hair, green eyes, and petite figure. But she had the same freckles peppering her face as the man who had an arm around the woman. He was a head taller than her grandfather with sunkissed skin, unnaturally snow white hair, and purple eyes. All Ruby knew was that she looked like them nothing more. Ruby didn't mind in the least, she was happy living with her Grampy Crocus and her good friend Laboon; or so she thought. She would often spend her time cleaning, cooking, and keeping Laboon calm. For some odd reason when Ruby would sing Laboon would calm down when he began to bang his head against Reverse Mountain. But not just any song could calm Laboon. Laboon only responded well to the song, 'Bink's Brew'. She later learned from her grandfather that the song was a song the Rumbar Pirates often sing to him.

The Rumbar Pirates had left Laboon in his care when they left for the Grand Line. They had promised to come back to see Laboon in two-three years. Fifty years had passed since then and they never did return. Her Grandfather believed they became scared and left through the Calm Belt, only to be killed there. Since then Laboon has gotten several scars on his head trying to break through Reverse Mountain to look for his friends. It didn't matter how many times he was told that they were dead he didn't stop believing that they would return. It broke Ruby's heart to see Laboon doing this to himself yet she didn't hold the same beliefs as her Grandfather. She thought there was a possibility that some of them might still be out there. All anyone had to go off of was hearsey, there wasn't any physical proof to say otherwise. Seeing the other pictures of when Laboon was a baby alongside the Rumbar Pirates so happy only cementated her determination. She wanted to leave and go in search of his friends so that she could personally bring them back to see Laboon.

"Ruby you've been staring at the photo for the past hour. Come and eat before the food gets cold." her Grandfather reprimanded her from the table. Ruby turned to her father with a look in her eyes he's never seen before. A fire burning so full of determination he thought he was staring down his old captain. "Grampy Crocus, I want to go out to sea to find the Rumbar Pirates." she told him. Crocus blinked a couple of times until he registered what came out of his adorable granddaughters mouth. "WHAT!?" he screeched looking at her like she was insane. Ruby puffed her cheeks out huffing, "Are you ears clogged or something? I said I WANT TO GO OUT TO SEA TO-" "I HEARD YOU THE FIRST TIME SO DON'T YELL!" he cut her off. "WHY ARE YOU YELLING?!" she screamed back. "BECAUSE YOU STARTED YELLING AT ME!" A vein popped out of both of their heads. "YOU YELLED AT ME FIRST!" She stated pointing an accusing finger at him. "THAT'S BECAUSE MY GRANDDAUGHTER IS TALKING CRAZY!" he retorted. "I'M NOT! I'M HUNDRED PERCENT SERIOUS OF GOING TO FIND LABOON'S FRIENDS!" she claimed. "THE RUMBAR PIRATES ARE DEAD! IT'S BEEN OVER FIFTY YEARS, YOU'D ONLY BE HUNTING GHOST!" he scoffed.

The screaming match would have went on for hours if it wasn't for what Ruby said next with tears brimming in her eyes. "THERE'S NO ACTUAL PROOF THAT'S TRUE, ONLY HEAR SAY! I DON'T THINK I CAN BARE ANOTHER YEAR SEEING LABOON KEEP DOING THIS TO HIMSELF! IF I CAN FIND AT LEAST ONE TO BRING BACK OR SEARCH ALL THE SEVEN SEAS MAYBE THEN LABOON WILL FINALLY NOT FEEL SO LONELY ANYMORE AND MOVE FOREWARD!" once she was down she hunched over trying to catch her breath while Crocus looked stunned.

Wiping a stray tear she looked back at the picture in her hands with bleary eyes. "I want to sing more songs to Laboon to make him happy, not just to calm him down when he can't bare the lonely pain of not knowing." she whimpered. Crocus heaved a long sigh, getting up from the table he walked over crouching down to her level. "Is Laboon the only reason you wished to go off to sea?" he inquired, placing a hand on her head. Ruby looked up at him sniffling, "What do you mean?" Crocus glanced up towards the picture of the couple then back at her. "You don't think a small part of you wants to do this because you understand him on a level no one else can." he elaborated. Ruby didn't understand what her grandfather meant. She wanted to go because Laboon was lonely and sad. Seeing how lost she look he stood upright taking the picture from her hands. "Follow me I want to show you something." he said placing the picture back on the shelf. Ruby furrowed her brows, but nodded following him into a room that she had never been allowed to go into. Flicking the light on the room illuminated to reveal a bedroom that she didn't know existed. Inside the stuffy room was a twin bed with pink bedding pressed against a wall. Across from it sat a dark wood desk with dust cover books, pencils, lamp, and frame pictures. The last thing inside the room was a closet no doubt full of clothes long forgotten.

"Grampy what is this?" she asked walking over to the desk. "It's your mother's room." he gruffly replied taking a seat on the bed. "My mom lived here?" she gasped, glancing over at him with wide eyes. Crocus nodded saying, "Before I moved the cabin inside Laboon, this was your mother's room." Ruby's eyes fell back to her mother's desk, focusing in on the framed pictures. The one that caught her eye was a picture of her mother when she was her age. How her mother looked then and how she looked now was uncanny. She styled her hair the same way her mother did, long, styled with pigtails in the back, frontal bangs, and long side-locks. Her clothes were even the same; a white tank top dress and purple sandals. "Your parents left you with me when you were just a baby. They claimed they weren't ready to settle down to raise a child." he began. "What did they wanted to do so badly?" she wondered aloud picking up one of the books labeled Journal. "Privacy runs thick in our veins. Like me your mother was a pirate. Her and your father were on the same crew." he explained believing that her words were targeted to him. "Huh?" She snapped her head to look at him surprised. "You never told me you were a pirate Grampy." she said with a tilt of the head. Crocus gave a small laugh, "That was a long time ago."

"You are pretty old." she stated a matter-of-factly, flipping the book open. Offended Crocus snapped, "I'm not dead yet!" Ruby ignored him focusing her attention to the book in her hands. "Don't ignore me!" he demanded. "What?" she sighed looking back over at him. "What I was getting at is that maybe you feel the same as Laboon. The loneliness you feel is not the loneliness of not having people around you, but loneliness gained by not having a certain person in your life that were once there. Your parents were their when you were born, but nothing more. I had been so angry with them for leaving you that I never talked about them. The nine years you spent only having pictures to see your parents made you yearn to see them. You empathize with him. Does it make sense to you now?" he explained his eyes never leaving the floor until he heard the thunk of something hitting the ground. Ruby was staring at him with eyes wider than saucers like she had some epiphany.

The reason she'd been so determined was because she knew how the loneliness of not having that certain someone in your life, but wanting them so badly to be there. She never realized that was the case until hearing her grandfather say it aloud. Ruby still felt fully determined to look for the Rumbar Pirates, if only to spare him anymore pain for them not being in his life. She wasn't entirely sure if she wanted to find her parents, but she would be happy if she could just put Laboon's heart finally at ease. "So Grampy, will you let me go?" she asked. Crocus again saw the burning flame in her eyes staring back at him. Somehow Crocus could tell that even if she was told no she'd still find some way to leave. For the next ten minutes the two stared one another down, like they were having a power of wills. After another five minutes passed Crocus knew that he had lost. Closing his eyes he pinched the bridge of his nose giving a tired sigh. "You really made up your mind huh?" he questioned to which she nodded.

"Fine. I will let you go on two conditions." he said lifting up to fingers. "One, from this day forward you will be training. I will not let my defenseless granddaughter go against the many horrors of the Grand Line." after the first condition was made he dropped one finger. "Second, you will have to find a pirate crew willing to let you join their crew. I won't help you put yourself in danger." With the last condition mentioned he rested his arm on his knee. A large smirk spread across her usually sweet face as she asked, "When can we start?"


	3. Training and Laboon Eats A Ship

Ruby had really underestimated just how strong her grandfather was. She had been so navie to think she'd stand a chance against him the day he threw a bo staff at him and said, "Come at me!" The very second she charged at him she was smacked down, flipped over his shoulder, thrown into Laboon's stomach acid, put in a crater on their artificial Islands, and into the cabin. From all the bruise, lumps, sprains, broken ribs, and scratches, she still hadn't managed to make a hit on him. When her Grandfather wasn't beating him black and blue she was doing push-ups, lifting weights, swimming laps (outside Laboon), and training with her bo staff. And when she wasn't training she was doing her normal chores around the house. But seldomly she'd have to stop all activities when Laboon was feeling like smashing his head into Reverse Mountain. During such occasion her voice would ring soft, sweet, and melodic.

"Yo hohoho, yo hohoho Yo hohoho, yo hohoho

Yo hohoho, yo hohoho Yo hohoho, yo hohoho

Gather up all of the crew, it's time to ship out Binks' brew.

Sea wind blows, to where, who knows? The waves will be our guide.

O'er across the ocean's tide. Rays of sunshine far and wide.

Birds they sing, of cheerful things, in circles passing by.

Bid farewell to weaver's town, say so long to port renowned.

Sing a song, it won't be long before we're casting off.

Cross the gold and silver seas, a salty spray puts us at ease,

Day and night, to our delight, the voyage never ends.

Gather up all of the crew, it's time to ship out Binks' brew.

Pirates, we eternally are challenging the sea.

With the waves to rest our heads, ship beneath us as our beds,

hoisted high upon the mast, our jolly roger flies.

Somewhere in the endless sky, stormy winds are blowing by,

waves are dancing, evening comes, it's time to sound the drums.

But steady men, and never fear, tomorrow's skies are always clear.

So pound your feet and clap your hands 'til sunny days return.

Yo hohoho, yo hohoho Yo hohoho, yo hohoho

Yo hohoho, yo hohoho Yo hohoho, yo hohoho

Gather up all of the crew, it's time to ship out Binks' brew.

Wave goodbye, but don't you cry, our memories remain.

Our days are but a passing dream, everlasting though they seem.

Beneath the moon we'll meet again, the wind's our lullaby.

Gather up all of the crew, it's time to ship out Binks' brew.

Sing a song, and play along for all the oceans wide.

After all is said and done, you'll end up a skeleton,

so spread your tale from dawn 'til dusk upon these foamy seas.

Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…

Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…

Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…

Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…"

The song would soothe Laboon's hurting heart if only for a time. "It'll be a shame when you take off on your own. Without that pretty voice of yours I'll have to begin sedating Laboon." Crocus said turning a page in his paper. "Honestly, that's not all I do. You'll have to learn to cook and clean for yourself too." she huffed continuing to hang the clothes. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that." he said in a 'ah ha' tone. She shook her head putting the last of the laundry up, she grabbed her bo staff leaning against the tree. 'Now's my shot.' she thought to herself glancing over to her grandfather. While Crocus was in the process of turning the next page Ruby jumped him. "Take this!" she gave a war cry bringing her staff down. *Clank**Bonk**Crash* "Owwwww!" Instead of landing a hit on him she was on the ground and her bo staff was in Laboon's stomach juices. "Good Effort." he commented picking her staff, casually scratching his stomach. "Don't PATRONIZE ME!" she yelled Shooting up from the ground. "I WASN'T! IT REALLY WAS A GOOD ATTEMPT!" he yelled back. Veins popped out on their foreheads, "WHY ARE YOU YELLING AT ME!?"she growled. "YOU STARTED YELLING FIRST!" he barked back. The two glared at each other for a good five minutes before going back to what they were doing as if nothing happened. Crocus sat back down in his favorite lawn chair and Ruby was peeling potatoes with her bo staff leaning against the back of her stool.

The rest of that day was supposed to be pretty quiet besides the occasional screaming matches between her and her grandfather, her humming, and gurgle of Laboon's stomach. That was until Laboon started to let out a loud moan shaking everything around them. For some reason Ruby knew it wasn't his usual fits, something else was aggravating him. "Ruby, I'm gonna get something inside okay." Crocus said getting up from his lawn chair. Ruby gave him quizzing look watching as he walked by inside the cabin. "What's he up to now?" she wondered to herself dropping her knife and potato into the pot. When she stood up she was startled as a ship crashing into Laboon's stomach juices. She stood there blinking dumbly as if she hadn't seen this a thousand times and all she could say is, "Huh?"


	4. Straw Hat Pirates

Before her was a slightly damaged caravel ship that sailed under a pirate flag. The flag was the traditional black shade with a customized jolly roger consisting of a smiling skull and crossbones wearing a straw hat. Aboard the ship were four people who appeared to be in their late teens. The one and only female in the group had short orange hair and brown eyes. Next to her was an unusually long nosed male with curly black hair and dark eyes. The last two were standing closer to the front of the ship. One was a blond male with dark eyes and dartboard shaped eyebrows and the one beside him was a male with moss green hair and dark eyes, wielding three swords. Out all the times ships had been swallowed by Laboon in the past, not one of them had been a pirate ship so far. She felt that her time had finally come to go off on her journey to find the Rumbar Pirates. Even though her opportunity was right in front of her why she didn't understand why she felt so nervous. "RUBY!" Said nine-year-old was shocked out of her thoughts when her grandfather yelled her name. She didn't have to ask any questions when she felt the all too familiar rumbling and anguished cries of Laboon hitting his head against the Reverse Mountain. 'Twice in one day.' she thought to herself finding it unusual. Laboon never had to episode in one day, but she didn't have time to worry about that now. Taking a deep breath she began to sing in that same soft, sweet, and melodic voice as before.

"Yo hohoho, yo hohoho Yo hohoho, yo hohoho

Yo hohoho, yo hohoho Yo hohoho, yo hohoho

Gather up all of the crew, it's time to ship out Binks' brew.

Sea wind blows, to where, who knows? The waves will be our guide.

O'er across the ocean's tide. Rays of sunshine far and wide.

Birds they sing, of cheerful things, in circles passing by.

Bid farewell to weaver's town, say so long to port renowned.

Sing a song, it won't be long before we're casting off.

Cross the gold and silver seas, a salty spray puts us at ease,

Day and night, to our delight, the voyage never ends.

Gather up all of the crew, it's time to ship out Binks' brew.

Pirates, we eternally are challenging the sea.

With the waves to rest our heads, ship beneath us as our beds,

hoisted high upon the mast, our jolly roger flies.

Somewhere in the endless sky, stormy winds are blowing by,

waves are dancing, evening comes, it's time to sound the drums.

But steady men, and never fear, tomorrow's skies are always clear.

So pound your feet and clap your hands 'til sunny days return.

Yo hohoho, yo hohoho Yo hohoho, yo hohoho

Yo hohoho, yo hohoho Yo hohoho, yo hohoho

Gather up all of the crew, it's time to ship out Binks' brew.

Wave goodbye, but don't you cry, our memories remain.

Our days are but a passing dream, everlasting though they seem.

Beneath the moon we'll meet again, the wind's our lullaby.

Gather up all of the crew, it's time to ship out Binks' brew.

Sing a song, and play along for all the oceans wide.

After all is said and done, you'll end up a skeleton,

so spread your tale from dawn 'til dusk upon these foamy seas.

Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…

Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…

Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…

Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…"

Once she was done Laboon stopped hitting his head against the mountain and it's anguished cries were silenced. All but Crocus seemed astounded by the girls performance. "So...they're not trying to kill the whale at all." she heard the carrot top gasp. The mere assumption soured her mood, "WHAT YOU SAY!?" The teen visible flinched at the harsh tone. Ruby was ready to tear into them when three people shot out through a door that led to the many corridors built inside Laboon. She recognized two of the three, getting more agitated than before. "There back again!" she growled snatching up her bo staff. Those two had been trying to kill Laboon for his meat. She managed to scare them off before, but now they're back still up to the same antics. Them along with another teen in a straw hat landed into Laboon's stomach juices. Not even a second after they fell in the moss head swordsman jumped in too. Ruby could only assume that he was going to help the straw hat wearing teen; for their sakes that's what she hoped. Much to her displeasure, the two would be whale assassins surfaced and the pirate crew helped them onto her ship. Not wanting to take any chances Ruby dashed forward using her pole she vaulted over to the ship landing on deck. "Huh, what are you doing here?" long asked quirking his brow. She ignored him focusing her hated gaze at the whale assassins who seemed to remember her. "Mr.9 it's that girl who beat us up before!" the woman squealed grabbing onto the other. "Miss Wednesday, little gremlin came to finish the job!" Mr.9 rudely added holding onto his partner. "The name's Ruby! And lest you forget I gave you two a warning, don't tell me you forget?" she asked harshly stamping her pole on the deck. The two flinched gulping, "Y-y-you said, if we ever showed up again you'd m-make us t-the whale's next meal." Mr.9 stammered.

Everyone, except for Crocus were shocked just how much those two were reduced to shaking messess because of a little kid, but even they can't deny the look she was giving those two would make even the mightiest warrior cry like a little girl. Ruby nodded eyeing the two cannon guns the two had brought with them. "Yet you ignored me." she hissed walking towards the two who were trying to merge with the bow of the ship. "N-now let's not be too hasty! Can we talk this out?" Miss Wednesday stammered. Ruby didn't say anything stopping just shy of the cannon guns both Mr.9 and Miss Wednesday were in tears. "Should we do something?" she heard the orangette whisper to one of her crewmates. "Why are you asking me?" another shot back. "Ugh, this is too difficult." Straw hat grumbled smacking both Mr.9 and Miss Wednesday upside the head knocking them out. He looked up to meet Ruby's gaze and something about the look in his eye made Ruby back down. "Fine." she grumbled relenting her want to beat the living hell out of them for having them tied up instead. But Ruby did grab a hold of the cannon guns and tossed them overboard. After that the members of the crew docked near the man made island where her grandfather had yet to move from. Once there the crew introduced themselves as the Straw Hat Pirates. There was the captain Monkey D. Luffy, the navigator Nami, the sniper Usopp, the swordsman and first mate Roronoa Zoro, and the cook Sanji. Crocus and Ruby briefly explained to them why they were inside Laboon and about the Rumbar Pirates. This eventually led to Ruby's inclination to go out to find them. "Huh, you want to find them?" Nami asked. Ruby nodded glancing up at the painted sky saying, "Even if the chances are small, I still want to go out to search for them." Zoro quirked his brow asking, "How do you plan to do that?" Ruby looked back down making direct eye contact with Luffy. They all could see a fiery gleam, present in her eyes, full of unbending determination.


	5. Joining The Straw Hats

"Actually, maybe you guys can help me with that." she began. The Straw Hats all shared skeptic looks with one another before their eyes landed on Luffy whose eyes remained on Ruby. "I know I maybe young, but Laboon has suffered for fifty years without peace of mind. I can do a lot of things. I can hold my own in a fight, I can sing, I can clean, and I'm a decent cook. I would be fine being a Cabin Girl." she continued pleading her case to them. Nami glanced over to Crocus gesturing to Ruby. "Are you really okay with this?" she inquired with a quirk of her brow. Crocus without looking up from his paper said, "My family aren't the type to be half-assed when it comes to things we set our minds too. She's trained relentlessly for months on end without rest. While I do believe she has still much to learn, I know I can't force her to stay." Nami crossed her arms with a disgruntled look on her face. "That didn't answer my question." she huffed. "Yeah, while I wouldn't mind having another lovely lady to take care of. It would be much too risky for someone so young to waste time chasing after people who might not even be of this world anymore." Sanji added. Ruby frowned retorting, "I know the possibilities are slim, but I'd rather try and even if I only find skeletons maybe then Laboon, will finally have peace." It was clear to all the Straw Hats that Laboon meant a lot to her. She even knew a song that soothed the huge whale. "As long as she can pull her weight I don't care." Zoro grumbled leaning against the palm tree. "I can!" she insisted. "It's not like what we say matters. The captain's decision will be the deciding factor." Nami sighed looking to their captain who had been uncharacteristically quiet. He was just sitting there legs crossed, hat shadowing his features. Ruby self consciously tightened her grip on her bo staff. This would likely be her first and only chance to begin her search or else she'd have to wait for another pirate ship to come by and who knew how long that would be. Crocus had insisted on a pirate crew for her to begin her journey. She could only assume it was because of their families affiliations with piracy. Ruby was really taking a gamble with joining people she just met, but she could feel that they weren't bad people. Contrary to what the world government might think. Pirates aren't saints, but they aren't heartless just like their could be marines could be corrupt. After a long pause Luffy looked up at her, "You said you can sing?" Ruby nodded to which Luffy continued, "I'd like to hear it." The request was a simple one, but she felt nervous under his scrutinizing gaze. Ruby cleared her throat placing her hands (pole included) behind her back. "Do you have a preference?" she asked. Luffy shook his head, "I'll let you decide that." 'Gee that helps.' she thought to herself. Nonetheless Ruby chose to go with a song that really spoke to her heart in those moments. (Believe by Folder 5)

"People tell me my head's in the clouds

I don't care what they say

because I'm dreamin' of you

You are the treasure I've found

So bright, so bold, yet so elusive

It's hard to look away,

even though it's blinding me

There are no words to describe

how I feel inside

I'm really really stuck on you whoa, whoa!

I have to follow my dreams

however crazy they seem

And I won't stop 'til I get there, you will see

You're all I need

to have the strength to believe

Believe in Wonderland!

I'm gonna' follow my dreams,

however crazy they seem

I'm gonna' share them with you,

a love so true

You're all I want, together we can move on

Live how we want to!

There is no limit to us,

we have the power of love

And we don't wanna' live ordinary lives

We have the chance to live in paradise

Believe in Wonderland!"

Like before the Straw Hats were enraptured by her voice. The could feel the spirit, determination, and hope in every word she sang. Once she was done she opened her eyes to see a huge smile spread across Luffy's face. A glimmer of hope sparked inside her seeing such pure glee on his features. "Shishishi, that was great! You're really talented." he complimented. Ruby felt her face heat up by the compliment, the only person to ever compliment her singing voice was her grandfather, yet she felt so flattered by his compliment. "Are already have a feeling where this it going." Usopp grumbled holding his face. The rest of the crew shared the same look like they experienced something irksome. "Permission to come aboard granted. Woohoo, we have a musician now!" he cheered jumping up while throwing his fist in the air. "You won't regret it!" she cheerfully giggled. "Well that's that I guess." Nami sighed with a shrug. "I more than fine with the arrangement." Sanji sighed happily. "Ha, you really are a ero-cook. No female is safe around you even the littluns." Zoro scoffed. Sanji's happy mood soured, getting in the swordsman's face. "You say something Moss Head?!" he seethed. "Yeah, got a problem erocook?" he growled back. Nami defused the situation by pushing the two away from each other. "Enough you two." Ruby all the while stood by watching the confusing spectacle before turning to Usopp who stood beside her. "Hey Usopp, what's an ero-cook?" she asked innocently. Usopp placed a hand on her shoulder saying with a wag of his other finger, "Ugh, whenever you see hearts in his eyes when he looks at Nami or other girls you have to hit him really hard where it hurts." Ruby nodded assuring him that she'd hit him whenever he went all heart eyes. "Well now that, everything is decided you should probably get your things Ruby. I'll lead you guys to the exit after." Crocus announced finally getting off his butt. "Oh yeah!" Ruby gasped rushing inside the cabin. She quickly packed all her belongings including her mother's journals. Ever since Ruby was allowed into the room she had been reading her mother's journals to get to know her better. The nine-year-old may have never thought of looking for her parents, but she was still curious about them. Once everything was gathered she came back out to the waiting crew and her grandfather. "Ready to go?" Luffy asked. Ruby nodded and with that they boarded the ship.


	6. A Goodbye

I never knew what I was signing up for when I joined the Straw Hats Crew. In the first few minutes we had been outside Laboon, my new captain picked a fight with him and even damaged the ship during the fight. I almost went after Luffy in blind rage if it wasn't for Zoro grabbing onto the scruff of my dress. I was shocked to learn Luffy's reason which brought tears to my eyes. He did all this so Laboon would have something to look forward to and to ensure he kept his promise he painted the jolly roger on Laboon's head so he wouldn't ram his head on the Red Line anymore. After that Laboon had looked at me with a confused look in his eyes. "Hey Zozo can you put me down?" I asked looking back at the swordsman. "Zozo, who the hell are you calling Zozo!" he barked, dropping me abruptly. Not having enough time to react to my butt met with the deck of the ship. Rubbing my sore butt a few times I got back up rushing over to the railings of the ship.

"Laboon, I'm going with the Straw Hats to search for your friends. And when I find them I'll bring them back to see you." I promised my old friend. A smile spread across my face when I noticed the tears pooling up in Laboon's eyes. He was happy, but he was also sad, not wanting to see me go. In the years I knew Laboon, I could tell how he felt with just a glance. "So this will be the last time for a while." I stated straightening myself up. Laboon's eyes lit up knowing exactly what I meant by that. I still wish I could sing other songs for Laboon to make him happy, but there was no other way I could say goodbye to him. Taking a deep breath I put all my heart I had into the song.

"Yo hohoho, yo hohoho Yo hohoho, yo hohoho

Yo hohoho, yo hohoho Yo hohoho, yo hohoho

Gather up all of the crew, it's time to ship out Binks' brew.

Sea wind blows, to where, who knows? The waves will be our guide.

O'er across the ocean's tide. Rays of sunshine far and wide.

Birds they sing, of cheerful things, in circles passing by.

Bid farewell to weaver's town, say so long to port renowned.

Sing a song, it won't be long before we're casting off.

Cross the gold and silver seas, a salty spray puts us at ease,

Day and night, to our delight, the voyage never ends.

Gather up all of the crew, it's time to ship out Binks' brew.

Pirates, we eternally are challenging the sea.

With the waves to rest our heads, ship beneath us as our beds,

hoisted high upon the mast, our jolly roger flies.

Somewhere in the endless sky, stormy winds are blowing by,

waves are dancing, evening comes, it's time to sound the drums.

But steady men, and never fear, tomorrow's skies are always clear.

So pound your feet and clap your hands 'til sunny days return.

Yo hohoho, yo hohoho Yo hohoho, yo hohoho

Yo hohoho, yo hohoho Yo hohoho, yo hohoho

Gather up all of the crew, it's time to ship out Binks' brew.

Wave goodbye, but don't you cry, our memories remain.

Our days are but a passing dream, everlasting though they seem.

Beneath the moon we'll meet again, the wind's our lullaby.

Gather up all of the crew, it's time to ship out Binks' brew.

Sing a song, and play along for all the oceans wide.

After all is said and done, you'll end up a skeleton,

so spread your tale from dawn 'til dusk upon these foamy seas.

Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…

Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…

Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…

Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…Yo hohoho, yo hohoho…"

Laboon gave a happy cry and rose up till his nose was in arms reach. "You be a good boy for Grampy." I told him petting a spot on his skin that wasn't painted. He let out another happy cry nudging me a little. I giggled a little until my attention was taken by Usopp asking, "Where are they?" I tilted my head to the side in confusion, "Where are who?" I asked. Nami then said in an ah tone, "You mean those weirdos! I guess they escaped." Weirdos? Ugh, he was talking about those whale hunters. I hope they got eaten by a Sea King, that's the least they deserve for trying to hurt Laboon. I mean if they were nice I would had offered them food in the first place, but no they had to try and kill poor Laboon. Shrugging I turned to so I could have a little more time with Laboon when I spotted something shiny out of the corner of my eye. "Huh?" I muttered. Following the gleam my eyes landed on a log pose just sitting by its lonesome on the deck. I walked over and picked it up, "This can't be Grampys. He's never been on the ship."

The images of those whale hunters popped up in my mind when I was trying to figure out who the owners were. This would be theirs, the Straw Hat Pirates just arrived to the Grand Line, so it wouldn't make sense for them to have one yet. "Whatcha got there Ruby?" Luffy asked leaning over my shoulder. "Oh this." I stated lifting up the log pose. "It's a log pose, it helps people navigate the Grand Line." I explained. Luffy looked at the log pose like a kid getting a new toy; his eyes were shining like stars and everything. For someone so much older than me he really acts like a kid. Since the owners of the Log Pose were no longer here then that means it's ours now.

*Elsewhere*

In the water not to far from the ship were Ms. Wednesday and Mr. 9. Mr. 9 was looking through his binoculars and was horrified at what he saw. Ruby had their Log Pose in her hands and was pointing at and talking to Luffy who was nodding his head. "Ugh this can't be happening the Gremlin has it!"

*Back with Ruby*

I don't know why, but I kinda feel like someone is staring at me. "Hey Ruby, you should put your stuff up!" Nami called. Shrugging I turned back grabbing my bags, "'Kay!" She showed me the girls room which I found out had three beds instead of hammocks. "When your done meet us on land." she told me before heading up stairs. Being alone in the room, I decided to take the middle bed since the one to my left looked like it was being occupied by Nami. Opening my bag I set my mom's journals on the bedside table along with a photo of me and Grampy. What clothes I had I placed in a shelf that was made into the bed. The last things I had brought with me was of course my pillow and a quilt that had whales and polar bears embroidered on it. Hey if I was going to be on a ship, I might as well make it as comfortable for me as possible. Once I was done I head back up deck. Usopp was repairing the mast that Luffy destroyed muttering darkly to himself about Luffy, Zoro was snoozing, Nami was nowhere to be seen, and I guess Sanji was cooking judging by the smells coming from where I assumed the kitchen was.

"AAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I jumped a few inches off the deck after hearing Nami scream. Thinking the worse I booked it off the ship with my bo staff thinking that the whale hunters were back. But when I got onto the land all I saw was Nami and Sanji with those weird hearts in his eyes. Hearts in his eyes? Guess I have to hit me. I ran up to him and he gave me a smile, "Yes Ruby dear?" Without a word I dug the lower end of my staff in his goods and he folded over holding his crotch goraning. "Ruby, what's gotten into you!?" Nami asked shocked. Okay now I was confused, Usopp told me to do that when Sanji acted this way. "Usopp told me to." I answered hearing an oof from said person in the background. Fire surrounded Sanji's form and he ran passed me like a man on a mission. "USOPP YOU SON OF A BITCH! HOW DARE YOU TELL SWEET LITTLE RUBY TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT!" he roared. Frowning I looked to an exasperated Nami who was rubbing a hand on her face tiredly. "Is something wrong Nami?" I asked going over to her.

She sighed, letting her head her the table, "The compass isn't working. I can't chart a course like this." Oh that's why she screamed, well I guess this really was their first time in the Grand Line after all. "You can't use normal compasses in the Grand Line." I told her. Nami's head shot up, "What?" she gasped. I pulled out the Log Pose I found earlier handing it to her, "You need a specially made compass called a Log Pose to venture any further." Nami's face was scrunched up for some reason as she examined the Log Pose. "Common sense is basically tossed overboard once you reach the Grand Line. Sudden changes in weather, giant beasts, places where you can't sail on, and many other things." I explained. Grampy nodded continuing, "There's a great magnetic field that Log Poses can only navigate." All the navigation stuff was pretty lost on me, but I learned a lot from Grampy. "So that means if we use this Log Pose then we'll be able to navigate the Grand Line?" she asked looking at the Log Pose in awe. Grampy nodded and she then looked to me, "Hey Ruby you mind if I have this?"

I shrugged, saying, "It's not mine I found it on the ship. Must belong to those Whale hunter guys." Nami continued to ask Grampy questions so I went over to the table where a bunch of food was that Luffy was currently stuffing his face with. "Slow down Luffy. That's how you get indigestion." I said frowning. I would be lying if I said watching him eat wasn't entertaining. He just kept eating and eating until nothing left; he even ate the bones. "I told you that was for everyone!" Sanji yelled, livid. "He even ate the bones." Usopp gasped. "I know right!" I said, unable to hold back my giggles. Sanji however, wasn't the least bit happy going on about how he made the food for Nami and me. He then proceeded to kick Luffy sending in flying. But due to the force as he was flung past Nami the Log Pose shattered. Nami was still smiling, but the corners of her mouth were twitching. Usopp looked like he was going to be sick. "I think she's broken." I mutter to him. Usopp then muttered back, "I think she's going to break a lot more." Quirking my brow I focused my attention back on the three.

Sanji was still yelling at Luffy when Nami kicked both of them into the ocean saying that if they didn't get out of her sight she was going to ring their necks. While they were flipping out I went over to Grampy tugging on his shirt. "Grampy, I think you should give them your Log Pose." I told him. He hummed pulling out his own from his pocket. Not long after I got the Log Pose from him Laboon surfaced from the water and he brought friends. Sanji, Luffy, and… "Whale Hunters." I hissed narrowing my eyes at the two. Sanji got up from the ground and offered to help Ms. Wednesday up and before I knew it I was right beside he crouched down body. He turned his head to look at me curiously. "Yes, Ruby dear?" he asked. I looked up at me darkly, "Sanji, why are you helping the whale hunters?" I asked cooly. He flinched at my tone and began to visibly sweat. "Well-" *Smack Smack Smack* Huffing I stomped off leaving a black and blue Sanji while the whale hunters cowered away staring at the battered Sanji with bulging eyes and a gape mouths.

Going back over to the others Usopp was eyeing me with a worried expression as he held onto one side of Luffy. "How can a kid be so scary." he whimpered. "She's funny!" Luffy laughed happily. "She really doesn't like them." Nami added sweat dropping. "Laboon is her best friend." Grampy explained. I silently placed my Grampy's Log Pose in Nami's hand before going back taking a seat at the table and crossed my arms. The whale hunters grovelled on the ground begging for us to take them to Whiskey Peaks since they no longer had their Log Pose. They of course became rude after they heard that the Log Pose was broken only to go back to the begging when they found out they had another one. I was surprised after what Luffy said, "I'll let Ruby decided." I snap my head towards them and a smirk spread across my face much to their dismay. This was going to be good, "Um, but aren't you the c-capatin?" Mr. 9 stammered. Luffy gave the two a serious look, "You're the ones who tried to hurt Laboon and Laboon is Ruby's friend." Never in my life did I see a 180 happen so fast.

The two dashed over to my bowing on the ground begging for forgiveness. "Please ger- I mean Ruby, please take us to Whiskey Peaks!" Mr. 9 grovaled. "Yes, we're very sorry about attacking Laboon and we swear we won't try again so please!" Ms. Wednesday added. "Okay." I agreed. The two looked shocked at my response. "R-Really?" they gasped. I nodded getting up from where I sat. "You said you were sorry after all." I shrugged trying to hide the mischievous smirk on my face. Sure I was going to let them come along, but I'll make their life a living hell until we get there. With that Luffy agreed to take the two to Whiskey Peak. "I'm going now Grampy." I said smiling up at him. If I wasn't seeing things I could swear Grampy was trying to stop from crying. "Mind your crew Ruby. You still have a lot to learn." he told me placing a hand on my head. "I'll be careful." I smiled happily. "Then take this with you." I eyed him curiously when he pulled out a butterfly pendant. "A necklace?" He gestured for me to turn around which I did. He secured the necklace around my neck.

"This was your mothers when she was your age. It's made with gems from Fishman Islands. If you put it in water it'll glow a rainbow light." he told me. I held the necklace up in awe, it was so pretty from the rainbow colors. It was odd, being around my neck I felt so warm for some reason. I hugged Grampy tight, tighter than I ever had before. All of this felt so real, it was scary and exciting to go off into the unknown. The goodbyes were definitely bittersweet, I was saying goodbye to my home and going off to places I never dreamed of seeing. If anything I was more determined than ever to find Laboon's friends.


	7. Whisky Peak Preview

Once we had started in the direction of Whiskey Peak, Ruby was sitting on the railing with my legs dangling down humming to herself. It had unusually started to snow so I had to change into something warmer. I was wearing a fluffy polar bear jacket, black leggings, and underneath it I was wearing a tank top dress. Luffy and Usopp were busy building things with the snow, Zoro was somehow sleeping, and Sanji was shoveling snow. I would have helped him, but Sanji kept saying no, I had no interest in making snowmen, so all I could do was sit there swaying my legs back and forth and hum to myself like I mentioned before. At least that was until I let out a huge gasp when something incredibly cold hit the back of my head. Annoyed I whip around to glare at the two who were no in a snowball fight. I draw the line when I have something thrown at me especially since I could no longer feel the back of my neck. Pulling my adorable bear eared hood up I hop of the railing and began to walk towards the two. "Luffy. Usopp." I growled making them freeze.

Slowly then glanced over at me and gulp when they noticed I had just took out my bostaff. "H-hey Ruby, why do you have that out?" Usopp stammered. "Y-you look kind of scary." Luffy added. Narrowing my eyes I raised my staff knocking the two several times on the head. Five lumps rose on top of their heads as they held them laying on the ground groaning. Not even a few seconds of hitting them two people had come out. It was Ms. Wednesday and Mr. 9, who both had snow shovels in their hands. They must've pissed Nami off given what they were mumbling under their breaths. All the while I was busy staring them down to make them as uncomfortable as possible. "Why is the gremlin staring at us?" Mr. 9 whispered to the other. "I don't know just ignore her!" Ms. Wednesday yelled-whispered. I was a bit amused by this since I was standing not only a foot away from them. "You know I can hear you right?" Both of them flinched tensing up ever so slightly and began to shovel snow like it was their only god given talent just so they could get away from me.

But sadly there wasn't much more to do when the weather decided to turn sunny melting all the snow almost instantly.


End file.
